


Trust

by orphan_account



Series: S T R A W H E A R T [10]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Nightmares, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 01:00:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11116584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Definition: The StrawHeart Alliance.





	Trust

Before, when Torao used to jerk awake at night, sweaty and panting as if horribly sick, he would attempt to appear nonchalant or cold. But Luffy never bought it.

(Torao's clenched jaw would still shake, his hands would tremble, and his frown appeared more like a grimace.)

But now, Torao let's him stay, let's him _see_ (maybe not everything at first; stupid Torao).

Luffy runs a clumsy hand through Law's hair, frowning until the older pirate captain grabs his hand and presses a kiss on the palm.

Torao does that sometimes.

"Torao's great." Luffy says, not regretting the words even when Torao visibly winces, before casting his gaze at the floor.

"Really great."

"Stop, Luffy-ya." Law says, and it sounds _wrong_. It's not how Torao usually sounds: cocky, annoyed, fond, and sometimes even pissed off. It sounds... quiet.

It's really bad when Torao sounds like that, unless he says it with a smirk or a grin, secretive and only between them.

"Torao puts his crew first, and they love him a lot." Luffy laughs. "And he helps people—the okay ones—and Torao cares about my crew, and they care about Torao. Torao _saved_ me, and he _loves_ me. And _I_ love Torao."

Luffy looks at Law and frowns.

Torao's sweating, looking paler and sicker than before, as if the words pained him worse than the nightmares.

"I'm _not_ , Lu-" Law swallows, his hair sticking against his forehead, "ffy-ya. I _don't_ deserve it." Torao grits his teeth, angry, sad, and pale.

"Don't you get it?"

"I _worked_ under Doflamingo. I _killed_ people because I wanted them to _suffer_. I _killed_... Corazón. It was _my_ fault. I didn't _try_ to save Ace! I didn't even _care_ about the pain you were going through. I didn't care about _you_. I cared about how you could _benefit_ me."

"Don't you get it?" Law's glaring, his golden gaze fierce and sad. " _I didn't care_."

Luffy pouts.

Torao's being stupid again.

"So? That's the past, and Torao's different now." Luffy grins. "Torao loves me and my crew. And he's not bad."

"That's not—!"

"Would I love a bad person, Torao? If Torao thinks that he's bad, than I would have to be stupid to love him, right? Torao might call me stupid, but he knows that I'm not _dumb_."

"I..." Law struggles visibly, and it's okay, 'cause Torao's not shaking as much.

"Does Torao understand?"

Law swallows and breathes shakily.

"Yes."

Luffy beams. "Good. Let's cuddle!"

Torao's eyes soften.

"You're ridiculous, Luffy-ya."

* * *

It's not that different from when Torao comforts him after a nightmare.

Except, he wouldn't try to hide it from Torao.

He would shake and choke on tears, and try to be strong for his crew.

But nakama are nakama, and Luffy broke down in front of his crew, before he even did with Torao. But it was because of Torao and Zoro's words that he allowed himself to be seen, when sometimes all he wanted to do was cry and be weak. But that's it, crying _isn't_ a weakness, and his nakama won't judge him.

Now, when he wakes up from a nightmare when Torao's with him, Luffy shakes and chokes, and Torao's there to thread a hand through his hair and kiss his palm if it's really bad, and make him stop being stupid about being weak and blaming himself for things that he had no control over.

Torao's there, and it's okay.

He trusts Torao, and Torao trusts him.

So it's okay if the nightmares are so awful that he wants to crawl into the darkest pit he can find and stay there until his nakama come get him, and it's fine if Torao is mean, irritable, or unsociable sometimes.

They trust each other, and those times when they hate themselves and want to be left alone will pass, and they know that they and their nakama will still be there.

Like now.

"Luffy-ya," Law runs a hand through Luffy's hair, frowning. "Do you need anything?"

Luffy chokes, his eyes wet and nose runny, and throat sore. "Just Torao."

He buries his face in Torao's button up shirt, 'cause Torao almost never sleeps.

There's a hand in his hair and a heartbeat below his ear, and he smells Torao's scent of coffee, ink and paper, cologne and the sea.

It's Torao, and it's okay.

Luffy breathes and chokes on a sob.

Torao's _alive_.

It's stupid, but he _needs_ to feel Torao more, _needs_ to be closer.

The younger pirate captain struggles to undo the buttons on Law's shirt, shaking and nearly tearing the buttons off in the process. But Torao's there and undoing the buttons for him.

Luffy presses his ear against Law's tattooed chest, the too hot of his skin meeting the soft warmth of Torao, the proof of his life.

_Badump, badump, badump._

It's a rhythm that the rubbery captain falls asleep to.

* * *

Luffy wakes up to an empty bed, Torao's gone along with his coffee mug, but the spot beside him is still warm, and there's books on the end table where a lamp was previously.

So Torao probably went to get more coffee.

Outside of the room, the sound of various voices and the hum of the submarine is audible. It makes Luffy miss his own crew. His nakama are sailing on the Sunny in front of Torao's Polar Tang. After breakfast and Torao kisses, he'll go back to Sunny.

Polar Tang.

Luffy snickers, Torao's _weird_.

Torao's weird, and he'll be back. Luffy knows.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry that this was so late and short!


End file.
